Once there, Willa hopped into one of the seats as April opened up the fridge and cabinets for the necessary ingredients.
“All right,” I said to Willa. “No more putting it off—let’s see that note.”
Willa chewed her lip the way she always did when she knew trouble was on the horizon. I held out my hand, and after some hesitation, she placed the note on my palm. I leaned against the counter, unfolded it, and gave it a look over.
It was the sort of thing I’d come to expect from her. Willa was like her mother—willful, bull-headed, and stubborn. Truthfully, she’d likely gotten those traits from the both of us.
The note stated more or less what Willa had said—there’d been some kind of altercation at school, with Willa getting into an argument and pushing over one of the girls who’d been bothering her. That was a trait she’d almost certainly gotten from me. Violence ran in the family. Luckily, with her it only showed up in the occasional scrap on the playground.
“This is bad, Will,” I said, tapping the note with the back of my free hand. “Getting in a fight at school? That’s not the kind of behavior I want to see from you.”
“But—”
“No buts.”
April brought over a glass of chocolate milk and set it in front of Willa, who eagerly took a sip.
“You’ve been in trouble a few times this year,” I said. “And if you keep this up, you’ll be risking suspension. Or worse.”
“But what was I supposed to do?” asked Willa, wiping the chocolate milk from her upper lip with the back of her hand. “Nothing?”
Her tone was edged with anger, and before I could answer her, April spoke up.
“Willa,” said April, sitting down in the chair next to her. “Why don’t you tell us your side of the story?”
Willa appeared confused at first, as if not sure what to make of this question. I realized I’d gotten so caught up in scolding her that it hadn’t even occurred to me to ask it myself.
Willa took a deep breath, collecting herself before speaking. “It was Mary Piper and Christine Haverford.”
I knew the last names—kids from very wealthy families in the financial sector.
“And what did they do?” asked April, her tone calm and even.
“They were talking about you, Dad.”
“Is that right?” I asked. “And what did they have to say?”
“They said…that you were a crook.”
I kept my expression neutral. My affairs were private, and nothing concrete could be pinned on me. But that didn’t mean people didn’t talk. Rumors swirled here and there about my family’s history, and whether or not the Ryder family business was involved in less-than-legal dealings.
“Is that right?” I asked, feigning surprise. “And then what happened?”
“I told them they were wrong and that there was no way my dad would be a criminal. They said you were, and then…I pushed Mary.”
I gave a quick glance over to April to gauge her reaction to the story. A flash of surprise appeared on her face. More likely than not, she knew better than to ask any questions. But the longer she stayed in my employ, the greater the odds that she’d start to suspect something.
But that was a worry for another time.
“You pushed her? And you thought that was OK?” asked Shauna.
“Yeah, I did!” said Willa. “And I’d do it again. I’m not going to let anyone talk about my dad that way.”
Had to admit, a bit of pride ran through me at seeing how passionate she was about sticking up for her family. But that didn’t undo what she’d done.
“Will, violence is never the solution.”
Shauna cast a sidelong glance in my direction, and I knew exactly what she was thinking.